Step 1: Supplies

If you want to use wider or narrower ribbon, you may want to experiment with different sized dowels. Grosgrain ribbon can also be used and looks really cute. I generally use upholstery thread, but you could even use dental floss if you want.

Step 2: Wrap your dowel with ribbon

Secure your ribbon to one end of the dowel with a binder clip. Wrap it in a spiral until the entire dowel is covered. Secure the other end with a second clip. If you run out of ribbon somewhere in the middle, just add another length and secure with an additional clip.

Step 3: Baking your ribbon

The more ribbon you curl, the fuller the bow will be. These eleven dowels will make two medium full bows. For small girls you may want to make teeny bows, so this would make several.

Continue wrapping dowels until you have several. Set them on a cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for about twenty minutes. Let them cool completely.

Step 4: Unwrap

Pull of the clips and gently unwrap your ribbon.

Step 5: Cutting

Your ribbons may look a little wonky on the ends. Trim off any weird pieces.

Cut the ribbons into desired length. These pieces are about four inches long and since I want the bows fairly full, I've used six dowels worth of ribbon.

ETA: Depending on the type of ribbon you use, you may need to seal the ends to prevent fraying. Acrylic ribbon can be sealed by holding the cut end near a flame briefly until it melts very slightly, or dab the ends with Fray Check. Some ribbons may be just fine if you cut at a 45 degree angle.

Hi, I'm making a firecracker shirt for my daughter's soccer team and I wanted to add the curly ribbon to the end of the fire cracker. So my question is: will the curl hold up in the wash? I'm instructing all of my parents to wash the shirts in a cold wash because I'm also tie dyeing them. Please advise!

Hi. I made these this afternoon using mostly your instructions. Really easy to follow. I figure that the oven temperature is Fahrenheit ? I converted it to Celsius and it seemed to work. Thanks for great easy instructions. Obviously the finished ones are Christmas themed and the unfinished ones are school colours. Not as neat as the ones on the instructions as I made them with less ribbon and a little longer. Thanks.

Hi there. I recently read up some instructions on making these somewhere else and after the lady had wound the ribbons onto the dowels and clipping them, she wet them under the tap before putting them onto a tray line with aluminium paper and then baking them in the oven. Is there any reason as to why you don't wet the ribbons prior to baking them? Thanks. :)

Thank you so much!!! I've been buying hairbows for my little granddaughter for months now....but I am a crafter and it had crossed my mind...maybe I could make....but I had no idea how easy it is. Thank you thank you....you've opened a new crafting avenue for me!

Wondering if there was a tip or a step I am leaving out My korkers look really pretty, however, the ribbons get all stuck into each other after I'm finished How do you keep them to stay separated and fluffy? Help!! Thanks!!

OMG NEVER THOUGHT THEY WERE THIS EASY TO MAKE . WILL DEFINATELY TRY MAKING SOME FOR HALLOWEEN. I HAVE A QUESTION IF I'M USING GROSSGRAIN RIBBON ARE THE TIMES IN THE OVEN THE SAME ARE THE INSTRUCTIONS THE SAME? THANKS SO MUCH FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU !

I think they'd be great to cheerleading! They really are very durable, especially if you take care to make sure the bow is really anchored to the clip. Our bows have withstood a lot of activity and are still holding strong.

Thank you so much! You've made a wonderful tutorial. My little one has been asking for pretty bows to wear lately and I had been putting off buying them because they are so darned expensive. I have everything to make these tomorrow.

It's not too hard. Before you get to step 6 where you start tying your bow with thread, I would thread a needle, two strands of thread and knot it really well. Instead of just tying, I would bring the needle up and down through the stack of ribbons a few times. Then push your needle through the middle of a ponytail holder, wrap the thread around once or twice, then back through the holder again. Repeat until it feels secure.

Thank you so much. I also have another question, I made one the other day but its not as round looking as yours. Mine seems to look a little droopy, how can I make it be puffy and round looking. Thanks a million.

This is just so fantastic! I am an Aussie mum, and we just can't get korkers here. I have bought a few Gymboree ones from eBay but of course they cost a fortune to get here, so to be able to make my own for my little girl is really great! Could you please tell me how long are the lengths of dowling that you use?

I'm glad I could help! The dowels I used were 15". These particular ones were bought pre-cut in a package from the craft store, but it doesn't take much to buy a few full length dowels and cut them down to the size you want. Good luck!

Your bows are absolutely adorable. I'm on my way out to buy supplies. I always thought you HAD to use grosgrain ribbon, no? What kind of ribbon have you used in this bow? Also, do I need to presoak the ribbon in water first? Thank you so much.

You don't have to use grosgrain. This is just the regular satin ribbon you can buy for super cheap. Both kinds will work. There's no need to presoak the ribbon first, the oven will do the trick! I'm glad you like the bows. Good luck!

Thank you for this! I've just been wondering how to make ribbon curly! I tried a small curling iron... I even wrapped them around things with starch and nothing! I tried this and it worked perfectly! I tied my ribbons around an elastic hair band and it looked super cute! I'll try the clips next! Thanks again!